New co-OC won't control Manziel

Updated 10:53 am, Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Video: CFB on FOX: Aggies claim Cotton Bowl trophy

Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin after their Cotton Bowl win.

Media: San Francisco Chronicle

HOUSTON — Clarence McKinney recently received a promotion, one including a hefty bonus: a returning Heisman Trophy winner. So exactly what are the plans of McKinney, Texas A&M's new offensive coordinator, for sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel?

“We're going to let Johnny do what he does best,” McKinney said Monday night after a speaking engagement at the Houston A&M Club. “We're not going to try and control him. We're going to give him the system and let him play football.”

A similar plan worked nearly to perfection last season, when McKinney served as Kevin Sumlin's running backs coach and had a hands-on role in the Southeastern Conference's top offense, and the Aggies' 11-2 finish.

“I don't see a reason to change much,” McKinney said. “We're going to add some things to get better, but our philosophy offensively is to take what the defense gives us.”

Sumlin pegged McKinney to replace Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech's new coach. McKinney, 42, worked alongside Kingsbury the past few years, both at Houston and during the past season at A&M. McKinney was Sumlin's running backs coach at UH for four years, including a stint under one-time UH offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, now West Virginia's coach.